


Corbett's Girl

by iloveromance



Category: Heaven Help Us (1985)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:20:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 6,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24860704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iloveromance/pseuds/iloveromance
Summary: After countless problems in her marriage to Corbet, Janine goes running back to Rooney's arms. But will he take her back after all this time?





	1. Chapter 1

The New York summer had been nearly unbearable. Rooney wiped the sweat off of his brow with the sleeve of his shirt.

What kind of moronic place was this anyway? Who ever heard of a filling station that makes their mechanics wear long sleeve shirts and uncomfortable long pants in the middle of August?

What a bunch of losers!

Unfortunately, Rooney was stuck here until something better came along. He'd been making incredible tips as a shampoo boy at Marisa's House of Hair in Bensonhurst, but that didn't last long at all. Marisa hated him from the start. She hired him solely on the reference from Brother Timothy at St. Basil's.

Man, that guy was cool! After Brother Constance was thrown out of St. Basil's, Brother Timothy took over. His laid-back style changed things completely for Rooney. Amazingly, he no longer dreaded going to school. He even thought he might graduate with his class. If only he hadn't decided to skip the morning prayers in favor of an Elvis Double feature. What were the chances that a colleague of Brother Thadeus would be there, and rat him out?

Turns out, they were very good.

And to make matters worse, when Marisa found out that Rooney had been flirting with one of the customers, she fired him on the spot. How was he supposed to know that he'd been flirting with her daughter?

Newly unemployed, he was forced to look for other work. And that's how he ended up here.

A bell rang, signaling an approaching car. Rooney returned his attention to the 67 Chevy he was working on. He tried not to lust after the car's slick powder blue finish and plush leather seats, but that was impossible. He still remembered the speech Father Abruzzi gave before the dance, emphasizing how bad it was to lust after something. Geez, that guy really needed to get a life!

"Hey Rooney! You got a customer!" His coworker, Dan shouted.

"Help 'em yourself!" He shouted back. "I'm busy here!" Rooney shouted back. He returned his attention back on the carburetor he was installing in the Chevy. By the time he was done with this baby, it would be as good as new.

"Come on, Rooney. You owe me. Remember when I covered for you when you called in sick to go to Lake Tahoe?"  
With an irritated sigh, Rooney threw down his oily blue rag, and rolled his eyes at the thought of some old broad with a beat up Cadillac.

"All right, so where is she?" He asked when he reached Dan's work area.

"Over there."

Dan pointed to the faint image of a woman, standing next to a blue Toyota that looked like it had come back from the dead. Just the sight of it made him cringe.

Reluctantly he made his way toward the woman and the car. When the woman's image came into focus, he froze;

Janine.


	2. Chapter 2

For a second he couldn't breathe. She was even sexier than she was in high school. How was that possible?

Smiling sweetly, she pulled out a cigarette, and handed it to him.

"Hey Rooney, my sick friend. Got a light?"

Nervously, he fumbled in his pocket for a lighter, managing to ignite a flame. When she leaned over to light her cigarette, he could see every curve of her body. At that moment, he thought he might faint.

"Hey, Janine. How's it going?"

"Um, things are good."  
"Yeah, I heard you guys got married. Congratulations." He said, hating the sound of those words.

She took a drag of her cigarette. "Thanks."

"How is Corbet? I haven't seen him in years."

"Corbet and I... we're doing really great. Um, just great. Really, really happy"

His eyes narrowed at the hesitant way she answered the question.

"What's he been up to?"  
"Oh... Corbet? Well, he... he's fine. He's so great about taking care of the kids. God, I still can't believe I'm the mother of six kids. What was I thinking?"

Rooney was unconvinced. There was definitely something she wasn't telling him.

But it was none of his business anyway, so it was best to let the subject drop.

He should hate Corbet for stealing Janine away, but Rooney gave Janine plenty of reasons to leave.

"Hey, Rooney!" He heard Dan yelling. "You gonna flirt all day or are you gonna help the lady?"  
Rooney felt his face flush with embarrassment.  
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just keep your shirt on!" he yelled to Dan.

He turned to Janine. "So, what can I do for you?"  
"Um, well when we start the car, it makes this horrible squealing noise. Corbet says he wants it fixed immediately. Says it makes him crazy."

"A weird noise, huh? Well, let's take a look."

Rooney popped the hood, and lifted it up to peer inside.

"I don't see anything unusual. Why don't you sit here and I'll do a more thorough check?"

He motioned to a wooden crate.

Dutifully, she sat down, and extinguished the cigarette by throwing it on the ground and then smashing it with her black shoe.

It took every ounce of willpower Rooney had inside of him not to stare at the curves of her body; the way the green dress fit tight against her skin. The temperature in the garage seemed to have increased dramatically. Funny that none of the other guys noticed it.

He grabbed his supplies and leaned under the hood, checking everything as thoroughly as he could.

"So how are you, Rooney?" He heard her ask.

"Me? Well, you know how it is, working two jobs and all."

He caught her reflection in the side view mirror; she definitely looked impressed. Besides, he couldn't risk having word of his firing by Marissa spread around. God knows what people could do with that information.

"Okay, I haven't found anything, but let me try starting the engine." He said after closing the hood.

He walked to the car, opened the door and slid into the driver's seat, trying not to think about the fact that she'd been sitting there only minutes before. His hand trembled as he turned the key. The engine roared to life and then purred like a kitten. Seconds later he turned it off.

She shot up from the wooden box. "But that's impossible! I swear, it was making the noise all the way over here!"

She walked over to the car and waited until Rooney got out of the car to sit down in the driver's seat. When she moved past him, her bare arm brushed against his shirt, sending a chill up his spine.  
"Oh, I can't believe this!" She put her hands on her head in frustration.

"Just chalk it up to Murphy's Law." Rooney said, smiling.

"Who?"

Rooney chuckled at the seriousness of her question.

"It's like when you feel sick, so you go to the doctor but once you get there, you feel fine. So that means that the noise you've been hearing may start up again once you leave here."

"Corbett's gonna kill me." She groaned. "He wanted this fixed today."

"Let him know there ain't nothing to fix." Rooney said. "He'll probably be happy to hear it."

"I doubt that. He's never happy." She replied in a voice so soft, Rooney had to strain to hear her.

"Well, if it starts up again, you know where to find me." Rooney said, giving her a smile..

She reached into her purse. "How much do I owe you?" She asked, producing a checkbook and a pen.

"Nothin'" Rooney said with a smile. "It's on the house."

"Oh... well, okay. Thank you, Rooney." She said, returning the items to her purse. "I'll tell Corbett that I saw you."

"It was great to see ya, Janine."

Before he could stop himself, he walked over to her and hugged her tightly.

"You too, Rooney." She said.

He could feel her resting her face against his chest, and it made his knees weak.

After several minutes, she moved away from him, slipped into the driver's seat and started the ignition.

"Wow, the car sounds better than ever!" She said, smiling as she backed the car out of the garage.

Rooney sighed.

The car wasn't the only thing that had improved.


	3. Chapter 3

"Murphy's Law" Rooney had called it.

Suddenly the memory of their chance meeting came rushing back. It had been years since they had seen each other, and yet it felt like yesterday.

Was it just her imagination or had Rooney grown into an incredibly handsome man? Just the sight of him took her breath away.

She glanced in the mirror, appalled at her appearance. Her hair looked horrible and this dress was such an awful color on her. Corbet hated when she wore it, but she had long since stopped trying to please him.

With a sigh, she tried to push the image of her husband out of her mind. What had she ever seen in him?

After graduation, she lost contact with Cathleen and the boys from St. Basil. Then one night, she ran into Corbett while out with some of her college girlfriends. He asked her out to dinner, and she reluctantly accepted.

She began to realize that the slime from high school had been transformed into a sweet, caring (and incredibly handsome) man.

When did that happen?

A whirlwind courtship led to an elaborate wedding, followed by children; one after the other.

As the years passed, Corbet began to change, and this time not for the better. Before she knew it, she was married to a stranger; an angry, unhappy workaholic for whom she could do nothing to please. She began to wonder if he ever really loved her at all.

A glimmer of hope filled her as she pulled into the driveway of the house she shared with Corbet and the kids.

She would give anything for her husband to take her in his arms, and sweep her off her feet, spinning her around; just as he had done when she accepted his proposal.

Just as she stopped the car, he appeared at the back door, an angry scowl on his face.

Determined to be a good wife, she got out of the car and smiled at her husband.

"Hey, Honey."

"What took you so long?" he shouted, startling her with his harsh tone.

"I was getting the car checked, Corbet. They wanted to make sure nothing was wrong with it."

"And did you tell them about the squealing?"

She sighed. "Yes, Corbet, of course I did."

"What did they find?"

"Nothing; they checked everywhere."

"So is it fixed?" He asked.

She could hear the anger in his voice, rising to the surface.

"Well, I took it to the garage and-oh Corbet! You'll never guess who was working there! He said to tell you hello! It was R-."

"I don't want to hear about your girlfriends from college, Jeanine!" Corbet interrupted. "The issue here is the car. So is it fixed or not?"

"Th-that's what I was going to tell you. When I got the car to the garage, the engine noise stopped. They called it Murphy's Law or something like that."

"Damn it, Jeanine!" He yelled. "I thought I told you to get that done today!"

His cruel outburst caused her to jump in surprise.

"Corbet, they didn't find anything, I sw-swear." Jeanine said.

Tears were rising dangerously to the surface, but she refused to let them fall. Corbet hated it when she cried.

"Corbet, I'm sorry. I-I'll go back tomorrow and get them to look again, okay?"

"I don't believe that for a second." He yelled. "Why do I even bother asking you to do things?"

Wordlessly, Janine walked into the house, not caring that she bumped into him.

It was only when she was in bed with the lights out that she cried.


	4. Chapter 4

Rooney tested the battery in the silver Mercedes, suddenly realizing that he'd already performed the test twice. He looked around nervously, hoping that no one noticed his inability to concentrate on his work.

But unfortunately, someone did.

Dan peered out from the office, holding the phone in his hand.

"Are you still working on that battery, Rooney?" he asked, incredulously. "Geez, you were supposed to have that done three hours ago! I got the guy on the phone; says he's gonna have me fired if it isn't ready soon. I gotta wife and three kids, ya know. I can't afford to be out on the streets, so if I lose my job, you and I are gonna have it out. You hear me?"

"Loud and clear, Dan."

Boy was that an understatement. Dan's booming voice could probably be heard in New Jersey.

Rooney unhooked the rod that held the car's hood, and then let the hood fall with a loud bang.

"Geez, Rooney! Whadda' tryin' to do? Give me a heart attack?" Dan yelled from the office.

Rooney glanced at his watch, grateful that the day was almost over. He didn't know how much more of Dan's yelling he could take.  
* * *

After what seemed like eons, it was finally time to go home.

"Later, Dan!" Rooney called as he slid his time card into the time clock. As he walked out of the garage and into the blazing sun, he heard Dan yelling;

"Hey Rooney! Try not to have your head in the clouds tomorrow, will ya?"  
Rooney waved him off. "Yeah, yeah... whatever, man."

As he made his way home, he couldn't get her out of his mind; that gorgeous chestnut brown hair, sexy smile, and the way she looked in that body-hugging dress. Just the thought of it made him dizzy.

Or it could have been the heat.

Either way, it was driving him crazy.


	5. Chapter 5

Janine lay beneath the warmth of the worn comforter, staring at the sunlight that streamed into the bedroom. Beside her lay Corbet; his arm tucked around her, his body pressed so closely against her back that she could feel him breathing.

She should be relishing this, a show of affection from her husband, but instead it made her shudder. She knew what the sudden intimacy meant.

He was dreaming of someone else.

The alarm clock buzzed, causing Corbet to stir. When he opened his eyes and looked at her, she smiled.

"Hey Honey."

Secretly she prayed that he would willingly wrap his arms around her, but instead he frowned. "What time is it?" He asked, groggily.

She peered at the clock. "6:15."

He bolted upright.

"Damn! I'm late for my meeting! I told you to wake me up at 5:30!"

"Corbet, you never-."

"I specifically said-oh never mind."

Throwing back the cover, he climbed out of bed and wordlessly began dressing for work. "I just hope that I don't get fired because of this. They don't tolerate lateness to meetings; especially ones that involve the CEO of the company!"

He walked over to her just inches from her face, causing her to clutch the comforter in terror.

"You never think, Janine! Money doesn't grow on trees and someone has to work around here!"

"Corbet, I tried to get a job, but-."

"But what, Janine? You're 'under qualified'? I don't believe that for a second! The only thing you're under qualified at is being a loving wife!"

The words cut through to her soul, and although she should be used to Corbet's cruel words by now, the pain they caused settled deep in her heart.

Her throat burned with unshed tears, just waiting to rise to the surface. Corbet was a stranger to her; angry all the time.

She thought that landing the job of his dreams would make him happy. She was so proud of him for finally achieving his goal as co chairman of a major corporation.

Now she stared at him, feeling like a child. When he started to walk out the door, she forced a smile.

"Have a nice day, Honey."

"Are you going to stay in bed all day?" He snapped.

"Um, no... I was just-."

"Well, before you do anything, take the car back to the shop and demand that they fix it!"

She rose from the bed and went to him, arms outstretched in hopes for an embrace. Instead, he pushed her away.

"Remember what I said. That car better be fixed by the time I get home. Someone has to earn a living around here, so it's the least you can do."

"But Corbet-."

"Goodbye, Janine." He said, shutting the door behind him.

The tears trapped in her throat suddenly found their way down her cheeks and splashed onto the pillow she clutched in her hand.

What had she done to deserve such a hateful man; a man she loved with all of her heart?


	6. Chapter 6

The thermometer read 92 degrees, and it was barely 10am.

"Another scorcher today, eh Dan?" Rooney called to his coworker.

Dan, who was never one for conversation, said nothing.

Rooney rose to his feet, grateful to be standing after spending the last three hours staring at the under-body of a Volkswagen.

"I'm gonna go get a Coke. You want one, Dan?"

When there was no response, Rooney shrugged. "Suit yourself."

He made his way to the Coke machine and inserted the coins. The sound of the bottle landing in the bottom shelf was music to his ears. When it was finally in his hand, he opened the Coke and then guzzled it down in one gulp.

"Hey Rooney."

He turned his head at the familiar voice.

"Hey Janine."

She gave him a smile that made his stomach muscles tighten. He couldn't help looking her up and down, wondering if the sudden dryness in his throat was from the heat or from the stunning sight before him.

"Sure is hot out." She said.

Was it just his imagination or was the statement incredibly seductive?

"Um, yeah. It is. I was just telling Dan that it should be a real scorcher today." Rooney said.

"I think you're right." She said with a smile. She removed the knit cardigan she was wearing to reveal a matching sleeveless sweater.

Rooney quickly pulled a rag out of his back pocket and wiped his forehead. At his puzzled look, she walked over and rubbed his forehead with her thumb.

"You have a smudge."

"Oh... Well, thanks. Hey, why don't you have a seat?"

He pointed to the wooden crate she had used as a chair before.

She sat down, the white mini skirt hugging her body.

"You, um, having trouble with the car again?" Rooney asked. He tried to keep his eyes off of her but it was impossible.

"You were right, Rooney. It started making that awful noise again when I drove home."

"Really?" Rooney asked. "Well, let's take a look."

He inspected her car as thoroughly as he could; oiling parts and tightening others. When he was finished, he slammed the hood shut, satisfied with the job he had done.

"If that doesn't take care of the problem, I don't know what will."

"I can't tell you how much I appreciate this, Rooney." Janine said, digging in her purse for her wallet. "How much do I owe you?"

Rooney shrugged. "Consider it a gift."

She looked at him in amazement. "You can't be serious! Rooney, there's at least $500 dollars worth of work here."

He shrugged, not caring what Dan would say. Dan could take it out of his paycheck. Janine was worth every penny. "I insist."

She shook her head, producing several bills from her wallet in denominations he couldn't quite make out.

"No, Rooney. Please take it."

"Consider it a wedding present, okay?"

At the word wedding, her smile suddenly disappeared and a look of pain filled her eyes.

Finally, her smile returned.

"Okay, but please let me make it up to you."

"Janine, you don't have to-."

"I insist. You have no idea how much this means to Corbet and I" she said, hugging him tightly.

When she got in the car and wordlessly drove away, he was left wondering why he ever let her go.


	7. Chapter 7

Janine rose when she heard the car pull into the garage. Finally her husband was at home. He had been working late so many nights lately that they rarely saw each other.

Tonight, she vowed, would make up for all the anger and resentment in their marriage.

At the suggestion of Sara, their next door neighbor, Janine spent all evening cooking a fabulous dinner, complete with candles, hoping to surprise Corbet when he arrived home. She knew how hard he worked, trying to make a living for the family, and wanted this evening to be as romantic as possible. She knew, deep down, Corbet still possessed a romantic soul. When they first met, he took her to every possible romantic place he could think of, and often presented her with roses and chocolates; every girl's dream.

However her dream came true when he proposed. It was truly the happiest day of her life. Finally, someone loved her beyond measure. True, the romance had definitely gone out of their marriage, especially due to Corbet's demanding work schedule and their six children.

But tonight was going to change both of their lives forever, and he would realize how much he loves her.

Now, she could feel her heart beating in anticipation of her husband's arrival. She had borrowed a gorgeous blue silk dress from Sara, and had her hair highlighted just for the occasion. She knew she was beautiful; Corbet used to tell her many times before. He hadn't said it in years, but just the memory of those words kept her going.

The key clicked in the lock, followed by the unmistakable turning of the knob. Quickly, she dimmed the lights and pushed the remote control on the CD player. The tender music was brought to life, filling the room with beautiful harmony.

When the door opened, she moved out of the way, eager to catch a glimpse of her husband's face.

He gazed around the room, silently taking in the romantic ambiance.

"What's this?" He threw his keys onto the entryway pillow.

Seductively, she stepped into his path. "Welcome home, Darling." She whispered. "I missed you."

Instead of sweeping her into his arms, he flipped on the hallway light. "What is all this?"

Trying to hide her disappointment but determined to make this night special, she walked to him and kissed him on the cheek.

"It's for you, Darling. To show you how much I love you."

"Where did you get that outfit?" He asked.

"Oh..." She ran her hands down the smooth material. "I-."

"Did you buy new clothes after I specifically told you not to? Damn it Janine!"

Her heart sank. "I didn't buy anything. I-I borrowed it from Sara."

"Where are the kids?"

Moving toward him, she ran her hand across his neck, and down his back. "She offered to let them spend the night with her so we could be alone."

He looked at her in disbelief. "Are you crazy? Janine, it's a school night! No wonder our kids are failing their classes!"

The all-to-familiar tears welled behind her eyes. Instead of offering a retort, she whispered. "Your dinner is getting cold. I spent all day making dinner just for the two of us. Do you want champagne or wine?"

He sighed, as though he were frustrated. "You know, I had a beer and a burger after work with Jim, so I'm just gonna head up to bed."

"You already ate? Corbet, why didn't you call me? Do you know how long I've been in that kitchen?"

"Why do I have to run everything by you?" He yelled. "You certainly don't ask me for approval. You just come and go as you please. And frankly, Janine, now that we're on the subject; I'm getting tired of it."

She had to fight to keep her tears at bay. "Do you want me to reheat something for you?"

"Didn't you just hear me? I said I've already eaten."

He pulled his suit coat off, and threw it over his shoulder. "I'm going to bed. It's really late."

Hot tears burned her eyes, finally spilling onto her cheeks. Leaving the kitchen in disarray and the table set, she blew out the candles and quietly padded up the stairs.

After checking on the kids, she walked into the master bedroom, where she found her husband asleep.

It was then that she made her decision...

(Much later that night...)

Alone in the garage, Rooney worked diligently to get the car fixed as quickly as possible. It was well past midnight, but truthfully it felt much earlier.

He was so engrossed in his work, that the knock on the door startled him.

"What the hell?"

Who would be at a garage at this hour?

"Hey Pal, we're closed!" He yelled to the figure in the window.

The knock came again, louder this time. Hesitantly he opened the door.

"Did you hear me? I said we're cl-."

"Oh my God... Janine?"

His eyes widened at the sight of her tear streaked face. Gently he took her hand.

"Are you okay? What happened?"

She took a deep breath.

"I-I left Corbet."


	8. Chapter 8

Rooney escorted her into the small office, where a tattered beige sofa took up most of one wall. Gently he lowered her onto the cushion.

"I'll be right back."

She watched him through blurred eyes, trying to resist the urge to cry again. She was far away from her husband and his wounding temper.

True to his word, Rooney returned just minutes later with two Cokes and a wet cloth.

He sat down beside her and began to tenderly stroke her face with the cloth. She flinched at the coldness on her skin. "I-I'm sorry..." she said softly.

"Just relax..." Rooney said in the most soothing whisper she'd ever heard. "So what happened?"

"Well... Corbet and I have been having some problems..." She said, amazed at how intently he was watching her, waiting for her to continue. Corbet hadn't done that in years.

"We've been through a lot, Janine. You know you can trust me."

She told him about all the times Corbet had hurt her, made her feel insignificant and how she wanted to be loved again.

"Oh, Janine...I had no idea. Why didn't you tell me you were hurting?"

"I-I guess because I didn't want it to be true; that he really never loved me at all. I didn't want to leave. I-I just couldn't take the pain anymore."

He took her in his arms, as she cried into the soft fabric of his shirt.

"I-I'm sorry. I should probably go." She finally said, rising from the sofa.

She felt him grab her arm and pull her back onto the cushion.

"Stay, please."

"Oh God..." She said, wiping the tears from her face. "Remember how much better things were in high school?"

"I don't remember them being that good." Rooney said.

With a sigh, she leaned back against the sofa cushion.

"Remember the dances we went to in the gym? The boys were lined up on one side and the girls on the other?"

"Yeah, and then Father Abruzzi would give those speeches about sins? God, I can't believe he thought we would fall for that! Actually it was the complete opposite. We were so hormonal back then; especially Williams."

The mention of their crazy friend made them laugh. It was the first time in days that Janine had truly laughed.

"You know what I loved most about those dances?" She asked.

Rooney brushed the hair from her face. "What?"

"Being in your arms."

As they sat face to face on the sofa, she reached out and touched his face.

"You're sweet, you know that?"

He took her hands tenderly in his and began to caress the smoothness of her skin.

Suddenly a million feelings came back; feelings that she hadn't experienced since she was a teenager.

Before she could stop herself, she slid her arm around his neck and pulled him toward her...

The kiss was better than she ever dreamed. Rooney's mouth caressed hers over and over again; her fingers splayed in his soft hair, massaging his neck.

"God, you're beautiful." He whispered.

She arched her neck and sighed as he began to trail kisses down her neck. "I love you, Rooney." She said as his kisses returned to her mouth.

This is what she'd been waiting for all of her life. For someone to truly love her.

But just as abruptly as it started... it ended.

"Wh-what's wrong?" She asked when he pulled away from her.

He was silent for several seconds before speaking. "I'm sorry, Janine. I-I can't do this."

She stared at him in shock, as she watched him walk out of the office...


	9. Chapter 9

Corbet stood on the balcony of the huge master suite, staring into the night sky. He glanced at his watch, shocked to find it was 3am.

No matter how many times he said the words, he couldn't make himself believe them.

Janine was gone.

Angrily he hit the railing with his hand, wincing at the pain it caused. But he didn't care... Nothing hurt as badly as knowing that she left him.

That horrible moment ran through his mind over and over; the moment that he awoke to find the envelope on the bed, his name written in bold letters.

And inside the words: I don't love you anymore.

Damn it, Janine...

He should have seen it coming. Every time he put her down, started an argument or spoke harshly to her, he felt a pang of guilt.

But he was too consumed with his career.

The stress of his job was unbelievable; people coming at him from all sides, demanding that he put his work ahead of everything else. At first he refused to make his career more important than his marriage, but soon he was consumed in guilt. He'd worked his whole life to get this far, and he didn't want to throw it away. When he got to the top, he thought he'd be happier than he ever dreamed.

But he was wrong.

Janine was the only person who ever believed in him, ever really loved him. The only one he'd ever truly loved. She was his world and his life and he'd thrown it all away.

There had to be a way to get her back.


	10. Chapter 10

He found her sitting alone in the moonlit garage.

"Janine?"

At the sound of her name, she turned to him.

When he saw her tear-streaked face, he felt responsible.

"Did you really mean it? You think I'm beautiful?"

Rooney smiled. "You are beautiful, Janine."

"Then why don't you want us to be together?" Her voice broke as she said the words.

"There is no us, Janine!"

The words were harsher than he meant them to be.

In the silence that followed, he could hear sobs coming from her direction. Slowly he walked toward her.

"I-I'm sorry, okay? I just-."

She looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

"I care about you a lot. But you're Corbet's girl."

"But he doesn't love me." She sobbed.

He crouched down in front of her, putting his hands on her shoulders.

"Look, I'm no marriage counselor, but remember what happened between us? We just couldn't make it work. Thank God we're still friends because I don't know what I would do without..."

"But you said..."

Rooney sighed.

"God, Janine I'm sorry about that. I guess I was so wrapped up in the memories that I never thought about your feelings. You and Corbet have a lifetime ahead of you. And six kids? I mean... how can I compete with that?"

He was relived when she laughed.

"I haven't seen Corbet in years, and I have to admit that I was as jealous as hell when I heard you guys were married. But he's the luckiest guy on Earth, in my opinion."

When she stood and hugged him, he felt happier than he had in a long time.

"Thank you, Rooney."

He held her close for a few seconds before letting her go.

"No problem. And hey, if you guys don't make up, I'm gonna feel guilty for the rest of my life. I'll have to go to confession... um, let's see... how many times is that?"

He began counting on his fingers. "That's... one, two..."

Laughing, she playfully she punched his arm. "Okay, I get it."

"You okay getting home?" He asked her, as he helped her into her car.

She smiled and rolled down the driver's side window.

"Yeah, I'm fine now. Thank you, Rooney... For everything."

He smiled and kissed her cheek.

"Go on. Corbet's waiting for you."

As she drove off, he smiled. He really did love her, but her heart belonged to Corbet.

And knowing that made him happy.


	11. Chapter 11

Dawn was breaking as Janine turned onto her street. All the way home, she had rehearsed what she was going to say.

If Corbet wouldn't agree to change and to forgive she'd be forced to admit that she'd lost the two men she'd loved with all her heart.

The thought scared her to death.  
How would she explain to Corbet where she was all night? He was sure to freak out over this. She could feel her heart beating rapidly and the tears that she'd worked so hard to hold back began to surface.

As quietly as possible, she slipped the key into the lock and prepared herself for the worst.

When she turned the doorknob, it opened automatically.

She looked up to find her husband standing there; tear streaked face, arms outstretched.

She swallowed hard and took a deep breath.

"Corbet, I think we should talk. I-."

Before she could finish, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her passionately. The sensation was both familiar and new at the same time. She gave into the kiss, holding him as tightly as possible, her hands massaging every inch of his shoulders and back.

When the kiss ended, they stared at each other. He reached out and tenderly brushed a lock of hair from her face.

"I... thought I'd lost you forever. Where were you?"

She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.

"It doesn't matter. Whatever or whomever brought you back to me, I'm forever grateful to them." He said.

"Corbet, I-."

"Shhh..."

He held a finger to her lips. "Can I say something, please?"\

"Oh... okay." She said timidly.

She sat down on the sofa, offering him the seat next to her.

As they sat together, he took her hands, surprising her with the romantic gesture.

"God, Janine... When I woke up and found you gone... you have no idea how much I hurt, thinking I had lost you forever. I-I can't believe I was such a jackass. You don't deserve a guy like me. I mean, I thought that a ton of money and a high-profile career would make me happy."

"...But the truth is... the only thing that makes me happy is being with you." he continued.

She smiled through the tears that were running down her face.

"Corbet, I'm so sorry for writing that note. It's not true. I love you."

"And I love you. I want you to know that. Can you ever forgive me?"

At the words I love you; she took his face in her hands and kissed him fervently.

"I'll take that as a yes." He said, touching his forehead to hers.

They kissed again but suddenly he pulled away.

"Corbet? What's wrong?"

He looked at her seriously. "Um... there's something you should know."  
Damn... here it comes...

Her body tensed, waiting for whatever he had to say.

"I-I quit my job. I told them that you were more important than a huge salary."

The relief was so great, she actually laughed.

"So you're not mad?" he asked with the innocence of his 17 year old self.

She kissed him again.

"No, but I know where you can work instead."

He raised his eyebrows at her comment. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah... I'll take you there tomorrow."

:"What kind of work is it?" He asked, skeptically.

She hesitated before speaking.

"Janine please. I'll take anything, as long as it doesn't require me being away from you."

She smiled at the compliment.

"Know anything about being a mechanic? I know the guy who works there. You owe him one."

THE END


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